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Jackie Lee Houston Shining Stars February 2013

This program rewards individuals that go above and beyond their job responsibilities in exemplifying one of the five supporting commitments. These commitments are Safety, Clinical Excellence, Courtesy & Caring, Healing Environment and Efficiency.

HEALING ENVIRONMENT

SITUATION/TASK: Kedra RN was the day nurse for a patient who resides in Canada and who was here with his spouse on vacation. According to Kedra RN and pts spouse, the patient was alert and oriented and ready to go home after a procedure he needed to have in the Cath Lab. Unfortunately, while the patient was in the Cath Lab he coded and passed away. The patients spouse became extremely distraught asking the staff “don’t take him from me.”

ACTION: Kedra RN took the patients wife down to the Cath Lab to see her husband. Kedra was with the patient’s spouse comforting her and providing support. The patient’s wife was having difficulty acknowledging the reality of the situation and what that meant. The patient’s wife would refer to taking the patient home with her and say that it was too cold and the patient did not like the cold. Kedra, in the most respectful, empathic and soothing way would let the patient know that he wasn’t going home with her physically but would always be with her in her heart. Kedra wiped the tears off the patient’s wife’s face, gently and so loving as though the patient’s wife were her own family. Elmer the Cath Lab RN kneeled with Kedra and the patient and as gently and as comforting as possible reassured her that the patient wasn’t in pain when he passed; the patients wife looked at him and stopped crying for a moment to respond “really?” in a low breathe grateful he told her this. Elmer informed her that her spouse was not alone, that the staff was there with her husband, taking care of him. He spoke to her about what happened in a way that was incredibly empathetic and reassuring manner.

RESULT: It was really difficult to put such a remarkable event into words, I still don’t believe it captures just how incredible these two nurses are and how they treat their patients. Both Elmer and Kedra showed love and empathy for a person they never met before. They were patient and didn’t rush this moment for the patient’s wife. They wrapped their arms around her with words of sympathy, caring, love and support. I watched and was so grateful that this patient’s wife had two of most compassionate, understanding and patient nurses during this difficult situation. They didn’t stop the crying or the hurt the patient’s wife was feeling but together they showed this person that though she just lost someone who had been by her side for 10 years she was not alone. These two nurses make me proud to work along side of them.

EFFICIENCY

AWARDED TO: Adam RomeroRECOGNIZED BY: Joanne Singh

SITUATION/TASK: Adam Romero is an excellent employee. He is hard working, dedicated and a tough negotiator when dealing with EMC vendors. He approaches pricing for medical supplies as if he is paying for them out of his own pocket. Adam is part of an excellent Materials Management buyer team who strive daily to reduce cost to the organization.

ACTION: Recently Adam was involved with a request to repair an eyepiece for expensive surgical microscope. The distributor sales rep quoted Adam a price of $10,000 as he indicated the scope was old and there were no longer replacement parts. At the recommendation of Suzanne Tracy and Rob Bowman, Adam called the manufacturer directly and was told there were no new parts available, nit after asking to speak with technical support he found there was an after market for parts. With additional research it was determined the part number of the item we needed had changed by two digits which had made it more complicated to source. After many phone calls and extensive research Adam found a replacement lens at a cost of $437 which saved the organization $9563.

RESULT: This is just one example of the extra effort Adam puts forth on a regular basis. We are so fortunate to have him as part of the EMC team.

COURTESY/CARING

AWARDED TO: Paul MalkinRECOGNIZED BY: David Perez

SITUATION/TASK: I received a phone call from my neighbor friend Sunny that she wanted me to come over and check on Mario, her boyfriend/companion of ten years. I convinced Mario that he needed to seek medical attention, that he was very sick and needed treatment. We called EMS to have Mario transported because he was having difficulty breathing. Mario and his girlfriend were very scared, nervous and unsure of what to expect, partly because Mario did not like hospitals and being from a different country (Canada). Sunny and I met Mario upon is arrival and remained with him as the initial work up was being conducted, all the while keeping his spirits up and I assuring him that all will be fine. Paul happened to be walking by (was not his immediate nurse) and I brought him into the room to introduce Mario and Sunny to Paul. Knowing Paul’s personality I knew that his bright smile, cheerful mannerism would be helpful for Mario and Sunny, and he was. After Paul left the room they both said what a lovely nurse he was and how nice he was. Knowing how Mario loves Opera and loves to listen to music I let them know that Paul was a great singer and that I’ve had the opportunity to hear him sing in the past. Sunny said "that’s so lovely to hear something else about a person’s personality, all to often we just think of them as what we see them as." After finding out that Mario would be admitted, told them to call me if anything else is needed, I left.

ACTION: When I came back the next morning to see how Mario was doing, I found out that Mario had just passed away, very unexpectedly. I immediately asked where Sunny was as I knew she would need help and knowing how emotional and unstable she had been seeing Mario sick. Hours later at Sunny/Mario’s home she told me (all the while crying very hard) that Paul had come back to see Mario (in the ED) after I left, just to check on him. Mario told Paul that I told him he sings and Mario asked him to sing him something. Paul sang "Bring Him Home" (Les Misérables).

RESULT: Sunny told me how happy that made Mario and that she saw tears of joy running down his face, she said "I will always remember that."

SAFETY

SITUATION/TASK: On the West staircase of the Bob Hope Classic Building a patient fell down the stairs and injured his head.

ACTION: Cynthia witnessed the event happen and yelled for help. Eileen from her office heard the cry for help and directed Janie to call for emergency help. Cynthia waited with the patient and helped in any way that she could. In the mean time when Janie could not get the address to our location (we just moved to this building), and no one seemed to help her, yelled at everyone for an address until someone responded. Janie was able to give the operator the location of incident and get help for the injured patient.

RESULT: Both, Cynthia and Janie, were emotionally sensitive to each individual, whether patient or fellow employee, and used this to their advantage in getting the help needed. By getting an emergency response team quickly, they were able to develop and maintain a supportive setting that embraced the physical and emotional aspects of health and healing. Together they managed and produced an effective outcome, in which the patient received the help he needed in a timely and effective manner.